Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Overflowing Rewards
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What the hell kind of situation is this?
"Benefactor of the Rock Clan! Is this enough?"
One of the dwarf doctors said confidently.
Behind him was a mountain of piled-up minerals.
They were still grunting as they hauled more over in carts.
"...Holy shit, you mined all this already?"
I asked in surprise.
"Hah! We've prepared everything we could. Most of the clan joined in the mining."
He grinned.
What they were doing now was mining minerals and transferring all the mined ores into my bag.
The bag I was taking with me—my S-rank subspace—was ridiculously spacious.
It could hold everything there and still have half the space left?
"We're fine, so fill it up as much as you can carry. The Titan Mine's minerals are infinite anyway. More will regenerate over time. We can't even process all of it yet."
"Man, I'm grateful."
The dwarves were just keeping their promise, but it was still touching.
They'd have to swing their hammers again, yet they were handing over these precious materials so easily.
And the movement didn't stop there.
"Benefactor."
"Our elves will join in too."
"The forest clan wants to show our gratitude as well. You mentioned needing weaving materials last time, right? We gathered some."
Behind the diligently working dwarves,
Elves came pushing carts loaded with spider silk, silkworms, wool, and more.
The line was so long it stretched out of sight.
"...This isn't 'some.'"
"How could we let the Rock Clan outdo us? The whole clan worked together."
The elves' eyes were filled with sincerity.
Meaning,
This wasn't on Eldrin's orders—they'd gathered it of their own accord.
"Hoho, impressive."
The summoned old man watched them with a hearty laugh.
His face showed genuine admiration.
"Even on a single dungeon run, squeezing every last drop out of it—that's something even I could learn from."
"...That's a compliment, right?"
"Yes, what else could it be? Disciple, do you know what the greatest driving force is for a person to grow and get stronger?"
"What is it?"
"Greed. And your greed—no, your endless avarice—is so staggering it would make the heavens recoil. How could I, as your master, not be pleased?"
"..."
It sounded right, but it also pissed me off somehow.
"But their actions toward you are sincere. In the end, they got peace at a bargain price."
"Well, it's a win-win, isn't it?"
"Exactly. So it's justified greed. Anyway."
The old man smiled.
"I've gauged Eldrin's archery skills roughly. She's not quite at my level, but with polishing, she'll regain her former glory in no time. Demir's not under my purview."
Eldrin and Demir's awakenings ended with the dragon's annihilation.
They were back to being ordinary bones now.
However.
Having achieved true awakening, their souls remained intact within the bones.
In simple terms, it was like the sun.
[Rewards have arrived!]
First, the basic dungeon reward structure was similar to the Ancient Desert.
[Skills +2!]
[Strength +1!]
[Agility +1!]
[Vitality +1!]
......
Stats shot up across all the bones.
Next.
[The Forest Clan's leader 'Eldrin' acknowledges you as her true master.]
[The Rock Clan's leader 'Demir' acknowledges you as his true master.]
[All stats +10.]
Demir and Eldrin had acknowledged me as their true master.
['Eldrin's memories and will have been fully inherited by Bone3.]
['Bone3's name has changed to 'Eldrin.']
['Demir's memories and will have been fully inherited by Bone6.]
['Bone6's name has changed to 'Demir.']
I didn't know why it was random.
But now it was clear.
My bones were all beings who had been one step short in their past lives.
By resolving that 'one' shortfall, they naturally became my subordinates.
In other words, I needed to resolve the 'one' for a total of ten entities.
How did I know?
Because a new catalyst item had appeared.
[Rewards have arrived!]
[Congratulations!]
[You have acquired the item 'Officer Calling for Peace' (S-rank).]
[Ding!]
[This item is associated with your class.]
'Officer Calling for Peace?'
I stroked the horn-flute-shaped model.
[Item: Officer Calling for Peace]
[Rank: S]
[Type: Catalyst]
[Description: A root that can uncover the secrets of hidden ruins.]
[Effect 1: Can unlock the dungeon 'Rise and Fall.']
[Effect 2: Item bound to Hunter 'Joo Dong-hoon.']
[Effect 3: This item activates for Hunters rank A or higher.]
"It's A-rank this time."
My rank was B, so I couldn't go right away.
Truth be told,
Even if I could, I wouldn't.
After one run, you need rest and regrouping, whether physical or mental.
'Who will it be this time?'
Bone-il? Bone-sa? Bone-o?
I had no idea the order.
The one sure thing was I couldn't predict it until I entered.
"And that's the end of the rewards."
There was no separate achievement reward for the 'Unmeasurable' stage clear.
Achievement rewards seemed to be one-time only.
"Hurry it up!"
"The benefactor is waiting!"
"Our elves can't lag behind either."
The two clans were still diligently loading.
[00:60:00]
[Time until the dragon is fully sealed.]
About an hour left until the dungeon was fully cleared.
Once the remaining time vanished, we'd return to Earth.
'Shall I check Eldrin and Demir's stats again?'
Whoosh!
I swung my staff to summon the two.
From now on, I'd just call them guys casually.
Because that's what they wanted.
"From beyond the world... no, Master. It's an honor to serve you, the clan's benefactor."
The moment we cleared the quest, the proud Eldrin knelt.
The boisterous Demir did too.
"I, Demir, will regard you as my master. So, Master, speak casually and treat me at ease."
His dwarven earnest tone hadn't changed, but respect was clear.
Thud!
Demir set down his bone hammer.
He moved beside Eldrin, bending his short legs in formal bow.
A gesture of wholehearted service.
I decided to accept it casually.
It might feel awkward at first, but this was a relationship I had to control anyway.
"Alright, looking forward to working with you."
That was our official first greeting.
Their info had changed a lot too.
'First, Eldrin.'
[Name: Eldrin]
[Ki: 200/200]
[Unique Ability: Great Skeleton]
[Class: Archer]
[Rank: B]
[Strength: 40] [Agility: 42] [Vitality: 37] [Mana: 35] [Skill: 42]
[Possessed Skills]
-'Intermediate Rapid Fire' (Lv.6)
-'Hundred Li Eyes' (Lv.1)
-'Deadly Poison Arrow' (Lv.1)
-'Moonlight Fall' (Lv.1)
-'Spell Ritual' (Lv.1)
-'Skeleton Summon' (Lv.Max)
'Whoa.'
I marveled inwardly.
The existing 'Field of View' skill had evolved into 'Hundred Li Eyes.'
'Poison Arrow' had become 'Deadly Poison Arrow.'
Two new skills added.
'Arrows raining down like carpet bombing under the moonlight.'
Moonlight Fall.
'A ritual offering costs to gain what you desire—similar concept.'
Spell Ritual.
If my guess was right, Spell Ritual was totally broken.
As long as the cost was secured, it could even seal a Giant Dragon.
'Next, Demir...'
[Name: Demir]
[Ki: 200/200]
[Unique Ability: Great Skeleton]
[Class: Blacksmith]
[Rank: B]
[Strength: 32] [Agility: 30] [Vitality: 30] [Mana: 30] [Skill: 40]
[Possessed Skills]
-'Intermediate Smelting' (Lv.4)
-'Intermediate Weaving' (Lv.4)
-'Intermediate Item Crafting' (Lv.6)
-'Intermediate Alchemy' (Lv.3)
-'Skeleton Summon' (Lv.Max)
Demir had no particularly changed or new skills.
Just levels up by 2 each?
But Demir's cheat status wasn't in skills.
He was a being called the god of blacksmithing in an entire world.
With his knowledge alone, he'd unleash tremendous production power.
I'd seen it with my own eyes, so I was certain.
'I need to raise his proficiency fast to get him to that level.'
No problem there.
With those massive materials, he'd skyrocket to advanced in no time.
While I happily checked status windows,
The two clans filled the bag in a flash.
"Benefactor, here you go."
"All done."
The clan leaders handed me the bag with bowed heads.
Plop.
I slung it over my shoulder.
Since it was in the subspace, the weight was manageable.
[Remaining Time – 00:00:20]
About 20 seconds left.
Time to really go.
What was this bittersweet feeling?
Had I grown attached in that short time?
"I wish prosperity to the two clans who forged harmony."
Adios.
I gave a farewell salute with my right hand.
"......"
The two clans silently bowed deeply toward my fading figure.
[Congratulations!]
[Stage fully cleared!]
And then.
With a surge of pure white light into the sky,
The world shook.
* * *
"Mmm, nice."
Back in the clearing, I sniffed the air.
How long had it been since I breathed Earth's scent!
Even the fine dust from exhaust piercing through the forest.
"Ahh."
Nothing beat the familiar.
In conclusion, this dungeon was a jackpot.
I'd grown so much it hurt to say.
Leveled up to B-rank.
Acquired massive materials.
My bones were gradually regaining their true forms.
'The problem is there's a mountain of stuff left to do.'
Even so, the rankers' peak was still lofty.
1,000 rankers.
All S-ranks.
The absolute top among countless S-ranks.
"Whew."
I stuck out my tongue.
Insane enough already—how many monsters were out there?
No need to rush, though.
Honestly, it hadn't even been half a year since my proper awakening!
I was climbing terrifyingly fast.
"Yeah. You're doing great, Joo Dong-hoon!"
Crunch, crunch.
I encouraged myself and headed straight home.
Today, I planned to crash without a thought.
Mentally exhausted.
Gobble some cup ramen, then sleep 12+ hours.
Clunk!
That's when I opened the basement door.
"What the?"
I furrowed my brow.
Stale smell aside,
The place looked like a bomb had gone off inside.
"What?"
Windows all shattered, mattress sliced in half.
Desk and furniture flipped, tools scattered everywhere.
Like burglars had hit the place.
Absurd.
But even more absurd was,
"Money?"
Bundles of 10,000-won bills scattered everywhere.
Rough count: four to five hundred thousand won?
'Money.'
Who the hell did this?
As I looked around,
"Hm?"
Something new caught my eye.
A paper stuck to the back of the door.
Curious, I peeked.
[Hey, Joo Dong-hoon. Nice to meet ya. Sorry for the rough greeting on first contact. Paid you in full, so cut me some slack. Don't even think about reporting it, though. Things could get dicey for you if you do. Anyway. If you're pissed about this party I threw, man up and come find me. I run a little hunter group—everyone's dying to meet you. Location attached below.]
[Shin Jong-oh.]
"......"
Shin Jong-oh?
What the fuck is this guy?